It’s Not Mine — MIND KEY

Somewhere at about the halfway point in my journey with depression, I realized that I should probably stop referring to the depression as “mine.”  I’m not sure where this idea came from; it just sort of showed up.  I had this strong desire to detach myself from it.  It was probably around this point that […]

Does My Life Matter?

None of us are going to leave this planet alive.  I know it’s obvious.  But sometimes we need a reminder that the person we are today may be the legacy we leave in a few hours.   My dad’s best friend passed away yesterday–very unexpectedly.  He was hiking a mountain with his grandkids, sat down, […]

The CHAOS Monkey

Last Thursday began at 6:30 a.m.  By 6:50 a.m. my husband and I knew the day was not going to end the way we had been planning…   Saturday was our 24th wedding anniversary!  We had planned a fun 2-day retreat, complete with Razor and four-wheeler fun in the desert.  We had set up things […]

Asking Questions

There is no question about it:  we will get more of whatever we focus on.   Asking questions of ourselves can be powerful.  It can actually change our lives.  The two questions I asked in 2009 changed my life:   “Do I really need to be on an antidepressant for the rest of my life? […]

What Labels Do You Define Yourself By?

When a person is fighting mental illness, it is easy to believe that the illness defines who they are.  It is easy to believe that the label attached to the mental illness–depression, anxiety, bipolar, ADHD, OCD–is who they really are.   The truth is, the person with the mental illness is, AT THEIR CORE, far […]

How Medication Can Help

I will forever be grateful that in the year 2000 when I went to my doctor and said, “I have so much to be grateful for but I feel so alone, so sad, so angry, so lost…” that he suggested that I might have clinical depression.  I am grateful that he saw the signs and […]

Blind Devotion

Today I have tears of gratitude for the man at my side who did not give up on me, who believed in me even when the gut-wrenching days of depression did not.   Perhaps you are not married.  Maybe you are and your marriage is in shambles.  Maybe you are and your spouse does not […]

The Truth Experiment – Dare To Desire

“Your beliefs act like filters on a camera, changing how you see the world.  And your biology adapts to those beliefs.  When we truly recognize that our beliefs are that powerful, we hold the key to freedom.  While we cannot readily change the codes of our genetic blueprints, we can change our minds and, in […]

When Pen Meets Paper

I had an experience early this morning that reminded me that everyone is fighting a battle; everyone is facing some sort of challenge; everyone needs a little slack.  We live in a fallen world which means there are obstacles.  Without the obstacles, growth would not happen.   Whether or not you are trying to unlock […]

How Do I Find Joy?

I had a very difficult time feeling joy during my journey with clinical depression.  I did everything that was suggested today during a talk I heard:  I read my scriptures, I prayed, I served, I loved. And I still felt like (pardon me) crap!  I felt helpless to change…. I believed that joy will naturally […]